Blind Justice
by Jyxxie
Summary: Tracking a serial killer, the team encounter a man who, even after shot, is able to take Ziva down in close combat. He has the gun that shot Tony-but.. he's blind? What kind of case is this turning out to be? No actual pairings.


**Summary**: Tracking a serial killer, the team encounter a man who, even after shot, is able to take Ziva down in close combat. He has the gun that shot Tony-but.. he's blind? What kind of case is this turning out to be? No actual pairings.

I don't own NCIS. I don't want to, the characters are perfect where they are.

* * *

"Hey Boss, are you sure the guy's around here?" Tony asks through the phone as he looks around the area they had tracked the serial killer's phone signature; abandoned buildings, not far from the road.

"This is where we've tracked him."

"But we've been out here for half an hour and we haven't found him, no way he's still around h-" The phone clatters to the pavement as several shots are fired, sending Tony to the ground.

"TONY!" Ziva whips out her gun and runs over to Tony, first looking around for a shooter, then checking Tony-who had his arms crossed over his stomach, blood gushing from between them. "Tony!" She picks up the phone and quickly informs Gibbs that Tony was shot and is down; right afterwards, she hands the phone to Tony and runs off after the shooter.

"I.. I can't believe she.. she left me here," Tony gasps out as he sits up and leans forward, applying as much pressure as he can. [Even if you're not even a mile away, Boss.]

In minutes, Ziva spots a man looking a little confused and fairly distressed-holding a gun and looking as though he'd been running.

"FREEZE! Drop your gun!" Ziva aims at him, anger very apparent in her voice.

"Wh-" the man whips around to face Ziva. Asian, long hair pulled into a ponytail, slightly short for his age, which appears to be mid-20s. "Who are you?" He doesn't drop the gun, instead raising it and pointing it towards Ziva, if not a little off-target.

[He dares to raise a gun at me?] She fires, hitting him in the shoulder. She fired not only in self-defense, but she is oh, so pissed for Tony. She runs forward as the man drops the pistol, but just as she's within range, he twists his body, drops down into his uninjured arm, and lands a swift kick in Ziva's face.

She staggers back momentarily, but is quick to return the assault, aiming her foot for his stomach and hands for his head. Somehow, he manages to anticipate these moves and dodge them.

* * *

"Go help Ziva!" Gibbs orders McGee, tending to Tony as he pockets his phone. "I called an ambulance, they're on their way. Did you see who did this?"

"N-no, I didn't catch that.. Oh god Boss, this hurts m-more than you'd think.."

"Quiet, lay down." He orders Tony onto his back, then leans forward to apply pressure to the bleeding, which luckily, has begun to slow. But my god, there is so much on the ground. He only then notices Tony is pale and shivering.

"Hey B-Boss.. Where'd McGeek go..?" Tony looks around slowly, his vision distorted and laggy.

"I sent him after Ziva, remember?" He frowns at Tony's condition. Though it's not good for Tony to talk right now.. it would be much worse to let him lose consciousness.

"You.. did? But he was right here a s-second ago.. and so w-was Kate.."

Gibbs stares at Tony before looking around furiously. [Where the hell is that ambulance?] "Come back to me, Tony. Kate's not here, McGee's not here. I'm here."

"N-no off-f-fense, Boss, but y-you're not the b..best at comf-forting s-someone.."

"DiNozzo?"

"Y-yeah Boss?"

*Gibbs head smack*

"Gotcha, Boss.."

* * *

McGee arrives just in time to see a bleeding asian man fighting Ziva-and giving her a good kick on the side of the head, dropping her. He whips out his gun and aims it at the man, yelling at him to freeze.  
"NCIS! Get down on the ground or I'll shoot!"

"NCI what?" The man huffs, holding his still-bleeding wound, swaying a little. "What is NCI..?"

"Federal agents," McGee replies, running up, gun still trained. He checks Ziva; she's only unconscious-no real damage. "Get down on the ground now!"

"But she shot me first.." he says, just before he drops to his knees, swaying a bit more before dropping onto his side.

"Ziva!" McGee tries to awaken Ziva, who's got quite a bit of blood on her-though, by the absence of any wounds, he assumes it's from the other man. He quickly turns his attention to the man, attempting to slow the bleeding; he can't have their main suspect dying before interrogation.

* * *

"Tony? Tony, can you hear me? Tony, please answer!"

"..." A light groan. "...Abby?"

"Oh good Tony you're awake!" Abby hops up and down, then gives Tony a big hug, careful to avoid Tony's bandaged stomach-though not careful enough.

A long groan elicits itself from Tony, and when released, he takes in a deep breath, relaxing. "What happened? Am.. I dead? It's so white." He looks around at the hospital room, then to his visitors. Abby, McGee. "Hey McGeek. Where's Boss..?"

"Busy checking on the man that shot you. Ziva shot him-he's in this hospital too, only a few rooms over."

"He is..? What's his name? What's he look like? I'm gonna kill 'im.." he mutters, although he's still a little high off the morphine.

"Dunno yet. He managed to knock Ziva unconscious.. after she shot him."

Tony's eyes snap open and he looks over at McGee, then Abby, who nods. "Wow, seriously? No way.."

* * *

"Good, you're awake." Gibbs looks at the man from earlier, standing next to his hospital bed as he awakens.

"Yeah.. yeah.." He reaches up with his left hand, but is still by sudden pain from his shoulder. "Ah ah ooh.. what.."

"I'm glad she shot you," Gibbs says, only realizing what he said after it came out. [Just go with it.] "After you shot my agent, you got off lucky with just a shot to the shoulder."

He looks up at Gibbs, but he looks back down. "Shot who? I didn't shoot anyone. She shot me before I even got the gun up!"

"You tried to shoot her, too? You must have a death wish."

"She-I didn't know she was an agent! I thought she was going to attack me!"

"Why would she attack you? Maybe because you have a gun and you're right around the area my agent was shot?"

"It's not my gun! Somebody mugged me! I didn't even know it was a gun at first!"

"Right. You just happened to be standing in the area, holding a gun, and was able to take out my agent after she shot you. Yeah, you're just a regular old Joe."

"I told you, I was mugged! Someone stole my bag and threw the gun at me!"

"Instead of shooting you."

"M-maybe he wanted to set me up!" Poor guy, looks like he's about to hyperventilate.

"Get your rest. You're going to need it later." Gibbs gets up angrily, swiftly walking out the door.

* * *

McGee heads into the observation room to wait for Gibbs to interrogate their suspect. He spots Abby, and waves. "Whoa whoa Abby, what are you doing?"

Abby, just about to go into the interrogation room, alone, looks back at McGee. "He shot Tony! I'm going to go kick his-"

"Abby, he kicked Ziva's. After he was shot. I don't think that's a good idea." He looks at the asian man, who is sitting at the table, shivering a bit. His arm is bandaged under his shirt, his hair is once again pulled back, and he looks pretty scared.

"But he shot Tony! Someone has to-"

"I will, Abbs." Gibbs walks in, holding a file, and heads into the interrogation room. He slams the file on the table in front of the man, who visibly cringes at the sudden sound. "Moesa Tatsuya. Pharmacist, Herbalist, martial artist. Let me hear your side of the story again."

"I.." He gulps, beginning to speak again. "I was near where you found me.. I was mugged; some guy put a gun to my back, took my bag and ran. I ran after him, but he threw the gun at me-and I picked it up, because I thought he had thrown something of mine back at me. When I realized it was a gun, was when your offic.. agent.. told me to freeze. I thought she might have been a friend of the robber, and I was going to point the gun back at her to keep her away.. so she shot me. I-I dropped the gun.. she ran at me, I thought she was going to finish the job, so I started to fight back.. I guess I knocked her out, and then your other agent came and told me you're federal agents.." He pauses, taking a shaky breath. Whatever he was about to say, he keeps it silent.

"You didn't realize it was a gun until you picked it up? Convenient excuse for having your fingerprints covering the gun."

"I didn't know, really! I didn't know it was a gun until I picked it up!"

"Oh, and why's that, bad eyesight?"

"None. I'm blind."

"..."

* * *

McGee and Abby stare at the man, then look at each other. "You don't think he's serious, do you? He took out Ziva.. after she shot him."

"I don't know, Abby.. I don't think so. I didn't see anything in his file about blindness.. I'm going to go check now." He turns and runs off.

"Blind."

"Yes."

"You're blind."

"..Yes."

"You were shot in the shoulder, and still able to take out, in close combat, my officer, who was trained extensively in close combat."

"I've been training in various martial arts since I was young." He's still shivering.

"I really don't believe this." A disbelieving smile appears on Gibbs' face, but vanishes just as fast as it came. He looks down at Moesa, shaking his head. "Blind."

"Since birth," comes the reply, but in a small voice. He rubs at his bad arm, gets a sudden chill, and puts his hand down. "Can.. I have something to eat? I'm starving."

Gibbs stares at the man for a good, long minute. He sits down across from him, sighing. "Name."

Moesa looks up, a little confused. "You have my name alre-"

"Name."

"Moesa Tatsuya.. or Blaze Tatsuya. It's a legal alia-"

"Blaze, huh. Why Blaze?"

"Moesa translates to Blaze, and it's easier to rememb-"

"Why were you near the crime scene earlier?"

"I was kind of lost. I'm not used to this city, and my GPS in my PDA had me going the wrong way."

Gibbs puts a hand to his face. [Kids and their abbreviations.] "PDA?"

"It's like a computer in your hand.. mine has GPS, phone, internet, translation softwa-"

"You're from out of town?"

"Yeah.. California, I just finished my college semes-"

"Why did you come here?"

"Visiting a fellow herbalist, learning a little more. I travel a lot to learn more about herbalism. I want to learn as much as I can to help people to the best of my-"

"Where are you staying?"

"I just into town this morning, by plane. I'm still a little uneasy from the flight, flying terrifies m-"

"Where were you planning on staying?"

"At my friend's place. Uh, the other herbalist. I never got a chance to get there.."

"What was stolen from you, then?"

"Luckily, not my PDA. It costs way more than what's in my bag, which was taken. Inside was my white cane, sunglasses, lots of my herbs and creams, my wallet, and.. that's it."

Gibbs looks at Moesa. "That's it?"

"..Well, my marijuana."

"You just admitted to carrying drugs, to a federal agent. You must-"

"Hey, I'm licensed to grow it and to prescribe it!" He looks up, his gaze meeting Gibbs' before he leans back in his chair. A loud growl comes from his stomach, and he puts a hand to it. "You can't arrest me for that."

"I'll get you something to eat." Gibbs stands up, taking the file with him. He heads out of the room, barely glances at Abby, and continues, heading for the elevator. He's going to visit Tony.

* * *

"It's true. Right here, Ziva, see? Legally blind. It's on his ID.. and his pharmacist license.. How did I miss that?"

"Because we were checking his criminal record and his skills, not his handicaps." [I still can't believe he took me out.] "He fights exceptionally well for a blind man."

"Yeah, he was able to take you out." At the looks he gets from Ziva, McGee stutters a little bit. "Buuut then again, you were angry and maybe not as focused as usual.. giving him.. a temporary advantage?"

"I will ask for a rematch later. I am going to put dirt on him."

"Do.. you mean put a hurt on him?"

"You know what I mean. He shot Tony, I will never forgive him."

"Actually, he's starting to look more innocent all the time. He is blind, how could he have shot anyone?"

"His aim wasn't too far off when he pointed his weapon at me." Ziva narrows her eyes, looking at the ID photo for Moesa on the screen. "Perhaps he is not truly blind, it is only a cover. This may be falsified information."

"It does seem pretty convenient.. and he did knock you unconscious."

She glares at McGee, who gains a nervous look, then looks up at the screen. "Perhaps you should speak with him."

"Perhaps I should.."

* * *

"How ya feelin'?"

"Oh, hey Boss. Much better." Tony is sitting up, sipping on a milkshake. "I can't eat any solid food yet. Sucks.. because I could smell popcorn earlier. You know how that is, you smell it, you have to have some."

"Yeah well, you should be eating popcorn in no time." He looks off to the side, speaking before facing Tony again. "The man who supposedly shot you.. claims to be blind."

"Wha-blind? Did Ziva hit him that hard?"

A chuckle escapes Gibbs, in part to the in part to how serious the situation is, that his emotions have been in overdrive lately. "Blind since birth. He fights too well though. He claims he was mugged, and and his assailant threw the gun at him."

"..Instead of firing?"

"Claims it was to frame him and get off scot-free. If he is blind, then that plan backfired." He pauses, hearing his phone jingle. "Gibbs."

"Oh, Gibbs! Good, you're there. Where are you? Are you visiting Tony?"

"Abbs, y'got something for me?"

"Oh, right, yes. Um, I ran the prints on the gun. There was only one set of prints, and it does belong to our suspect, Mo..ee.. ay..sa.. Blaze? Blaze is easier to say. It really is a legal alias. Do you think I should get one too? An alias, I mean, not a gun or something. Maybe I should get a gun too, though. I've been attacked befo-"

"Thank you, Abbs. Anything else?"

"He does have a record, but not a big one. When he was a teenager, he was arrested twice in one week.. first for minor theft, then for assaulting a fellow student. But that's it, nothing else after that." She pauses, then gasps. "Oh! The bullet in Tony was fired from the gun that Blaze was holding when Ziva found him."

"He has a last name, you know," Gibbs says, mildly amused that Abby is calling their suspect by his first name.

"Well.. I know.. but I kind of like his name. Blaze. It's so neat, and you don't hear it often. Like your name. Gibbs. It's a really neat name. And Ducky. Ziva.. DiNozzo.. McGee.. how come everyone has neat names and mine is a boring Abby?"

Gibbs' face gains a full grin. [Always knows how to cheer me up.] "Thanks, Abbs. Tony's doing better. "

"Oh, great! Can I talk to him?"

"Not yet, he needs his rest."

Tony looks up at Gibbs, giving a look of relief. He isn't ready just yet, to take on a hyperactive Abby.

Gibbs grins. "See you soon, Abbs." Click.

* * *

Blaze sits up a little straighter. Still silence, but he catches a very, very faint whiff of food. Smells like.. fries. And a burger. His mouth starts to water; the smell is getting closer. He can just make out words as someone begins to speak outside the window.

"Is that for him?"

"Yeah. It's been a while, I forgot to have food ordered for him before I left."

"Oh, well, I noticed it had been a while since he ate.. so I gave him some chips a while ago."

"Didja talk to him?"

"Yeah, um, a little bit.. I asked him if he could describe anything about the man who mugged him, anything at all."

"..And?"

"Only his voice. He said he could identify the voice if he heard it again."

"Wonderful. That narrows it down so well. Can't even get a sketch from this guy."

The door opens, and Blaze sits up straight from his leaning-forward, listening-intently position. "Ah! Food! That smells wonderful." He pauses. "..Agent Gibbs, right?"

"Oh? How'd ya know?"

"Your footsteps. Agent McGee walks a little unsteadily, but you walk confidently. And you're a little heavier too."

"Heavier, huh? Not callin' me fat, are you?" He sets the food down in front of Blaze, who grabs the bag, reaching in enthusiastically for his burger.

"Fat? No. Are you? I can't tell." He bites into his burger, leaning back contentedly as he eats.

Gibbs watches Blaze, and notes his somewhat immature, almost blissful attitude. [Could he really have done it?] "You wouldn't mind if I brought my ME in, would you?"

Blaze swallows his food. "ME? What's that?"

"Medical Examiner. Just to look you over."

"Oh.. why? My shoulder was patched up."

"To confirm your blindness." He watches Blaze for the reaction.

Pausing in mid-chew, Blaze frowns in confusion, then gives a little shrug. "Sure, go ahead," he says through his mouthful.

Gibbs waves his hand, signaling McGee, who turns to get Ducky.

"The gun you were holding, we matched the bullet that was in my agent to that gun."

Blaze blinks, swallowing his food. The burger is nearly gone already. "I.. I never asked. Is your agent okay?"

Gibbs quirks an eyebrow at the reaction. "Better. I heard that you assaulted someone as a teenager. Care to elaborate?"

"You mean when I was arrested?" At the silence, he gives a little nod. "A week beforehand, someone framed me for stealing something from a store, as a prank. I knew who it was, and I was kind of pissed, since I had a perfect record before that.. so.. I started a fight with him. I uh.. I won. He was fine, but his parents filed charges against me." He chomps on his fries, eating them one-after-another in an endless chain.

"So, you would consider yourself the vengeful type."

"No.. not really. Teenage hormones, you know how it is."

"Your record is clean after that. Was it the marijuana that calmed you down?"

"No, I smoked it before then.. aaiii mean.." The fry chain has paused as he gains an uneasy look.

"Well, weren't licensed back then now, were you?"

"..Don't tell my parents, please," he says, and Gibbs can't help but chuckle at the sudden kid phrase.

"Na, don't worry about it." He looks up at Ducky walks in. [Perfect timing, Duck.]

"Ah, is this the young man I've the privilege of examining?"

"That would be him. Blaze Tatsuya, this is Dr. Mallard."

"Oh! Nice to meet you, Doctor.. Mallard. I like that name." He makes sure all grease is off his hand before offering it towards the doctor's voice.

Wearing gloves, of course, Ducky accepts it. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Tatsuya. I-"

"Doctor."

"I'm sorry?"

"I don't like to be called Mister, sorry. Call me Dr. Tatsuya, or just Blaze."

"Oh, a fellow doctor? What field?" Ducky pulls out a small, very bright flashlight, to examine Blaze's eyes.

"Herbalism. All-natural cures are my specialty." He blinks instinctively as Ducky touches his eye, then relaxes as they're inspected.

"Very interesting. How extensive is your knowledge?" [This eye is definitely blind.]

"Well, I travel various countries and study natural cures around the world. I can acquire a new language, new knowledge, very quickly, so I can travel to a new place every year. I've been to Germany, Russia, France, Italy.. I rather like Europe. Of course, I went to Canada first, since it was so close to home." He pauses as Ducky releases his other eye. "I'm not boring you, am I?" [I seemed to do that with Agent Gibbs.]

"No, not at all. Your story is fascinating, actually, I'd love to hear more later. But first. He is in fact blind, Jethro. He could only aim a gun through hearing, and by what I've heard on the case, he has rather good accuracy."

"So good, I run into things if I move too fast." Blaze rubs at his eyes.

Gibbs and Ducky look down at him, then at each other.

"It's true. If I walk, I can navigate fairly easily. If I run though, I don't have as much time to find things that are in front of me, and I tend to run into inanimate objects.. cars, phone poles, walls.." He grins sheepishly.

"Well Duck, thank you for coming. I'll check in later."

"No trouble at all Jethro. I'm always available if you need me." Ducky turns and heads out the door, leaving Blaze and Gibbs alone again. Blaze has just finished all of his food, including the soda.

[Fast eater.] "Well, until we find anything else, you're free to go." Gibbs runs his neck. [No leads, nothing. That bastard is still on the loose, and we wasted a day.]

Blaze blinks, and smiles. "Oh, I'm not under arrest? But I thought I was because I fought your agent-"

"I'm sorry, would you /like/ to be under arrest for that? I can arrange that rather quickly."

"Oh-n-no! No, I um.. thank you, Agent Gibbs."

"Yeah. Are you sure there's nothing else you can offer to help? Something he said, something you smelled on him, perhaps.. a body build?"

Blaze pauses, then gains a rather thoughtful look, eyes squinting. "...His voice was a little gruff.. he smelled a bit.. metallic.. Not from blood, but like he worked with metals a lot.. I don't think it was a gun-metal smell either.. and he seemed to have a stocky build. Not heavyset, but thick on the muscles. I wouldn't have guessed on that part if he hadn't run into me and taken my bag."

Gibbs nods and stands. "Thank you. I'll lead you out to where you can talk to my agent, and he can record your side of the story."

"Oh, right. Okay." Blaze stands as well, giving his shoulder a little rub after stretching due to stiffness.

* * *

"So it wasn't he who shot Tony. Well I would still like to talk to him and give him a piece of my head."

"A piece of your mind, Ziva," Gibbs corrects, walking in with Blaze in tow.

McGee spots Blaze and looks at Gibbs with a questioning look.

"McGee, Blaze will give you a verbal statement. Type, print, have him sign, and he's free to go."

"Okay boss."

Of course, it just has to happen.. that one cord that happens to stick out from McGee's desk, Blaze's foot manages to find it. Down he goes, garnering an exasperated sigh from Gibbs and a giggle from Ziva.

"Sorry sorry," Blaze mumbles, getting back up, and sitting in the chair provided. "Right, statement.." He proceeds to explain everything, again.

* * *

"Abbs, got anything for me?"

Abby jumps in surprise, turning around. "Gibbs! We.. seem to have hit a standstill on the case.. No DNA, no tire tracks, no nothing! I thought for sure our man was Blaze, but I guess he's not.."

"Still on a first-name basis, are you?"

Abby grins a little. "Well.. can you blame me? I mean, he is kinda cute.."

Gibbs smiles and pats Abby on the head. "He's free, he'll be leaving soon."

"Oh, he is?" Her voice relays a little whine, and she looks up at Gibbs. "Did you at least make him apologize to Ziva?"

"I'm going out to go check in on Tony, see if he needs anything. Would you like to join me?"

"Yes!" She grins and wraps her arm around Gibbs' offered arm, heading out with him.

* * *

Weeks pass. DiNozzo has returned to the office, and is relishing his ability to once again eat solid foods-as is evident by his recent pigging out. Pizza, chocolate, chinese, even the random lollipop.

"Hope you're not going to keep that up, Tony," McGee comments as Tony walks in with a donut in hand. "You'll start putting on weight if you eat all the time."

"Psh. I've got a great metabolism, Probie. Unlike you. Don't deny it; I've seen those extra pounds."

"I very much doubt that." Ziva walks over toward Tony, who has yet to sit down. "I have seen no difference in McGee's weight. You, I think have gained a few pounds." Ziva pokes Tony in the belly, then tilts her head. "It seems I am correct."

Tony frowns indignantly. "What, I have not! You're just making that up."

"Oh? Why would I do that?"

"To hide your true feelings for me, of course."

"Ohh, how cute. You think I have feelings for you?"

"Of course you do, I see how y-" He's cut off as Ziva leans forward, giving Tony a quick kiss on the lips, effectively shutting him up-and leaving McGee staring, dumbfounded.

Ziva turns and heads back to her desk, smiling, but displays a straight face devoid of emotion as she turns and sits down at her computer.

Tony looks at her, then over to McGee, who returns the look of confusion. With nothing else to say, Tony just turns, sits down, and leans back, still holding the untouched donut in his hand.

"Whassamatter DiNozzo, eat a bad donut?" Gibbs asks as he walks in, unaware of what had just taken place moments earlier.

"Yeah.. I think I did, Boss." Tony drops the donut into the garbage can, glancing at Ziva before looking at his computer screen, pretending to find something interesting on it.

Gibbs leans back in his seat, taking a drink of coffee before picking up the newspaper to scan for anything interesting. Before he can read much, though, his phone goes off in his pocket. "Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs! I found the guy from before!" It's Blaze again, speaking in a low, hushed tone.

Gibbs immediately sits up. "Where are you? Is he near you?"

"He-he's here, I don't know where I am, I followed him.. trace my call. I'm staying far back.. he's talking to someone on his phone, I-I think it's about covering something up.."

"McGee! Trace the call to my phone. Tony, Ziva, that Tatsuya kid may have found our killer." Gibbs gets up, grabs his gun, and heads out with Tony and Ziva in tow.

* * *

Blaze is rather nervous, but pretends as though he's just listening to a friend on a cell phone. After all, he is near a possible killer, he wants to have a backup plan if he's caught. Luckily, the suspect doesn't realize he's being followed, and stops commuting, coming to rest inside his home. Blaze has tracked the man from a property away, but hearing the door shut and the lack of footsteps, he carefully navigates his way across the nearby property, sidling up against the wall of the suspect's home. He still has the phone on, so McGee can track his every move. He whispers into the phone once he gets into position. "Agent Gibbs, I'm right outside his house.. Are you nearby?"

"We're on our way. Stay on the line if you can." He puts the phone down, leaving it connected. "McGee, location."

"Two more miles to the northeast and you'll be right there. Tatsuya's stopped moving."

"Good."

Several tense minutes pass for the team; they arrive just in time to find the house-but no sign of either man. Getting out, guns drawn, they encircle the house. Ziva goes around the side of the house, Tony and Gibbs enter through the door. All is silent inside the home.. but moments later, three shots are fired from the backyard.

Gibbs and Tony zip through the house, coming to see the scene in the backyard. The suspect is laying on the ground, shot in the heart; Ziva is just running over to Blaze, who has suffered a gunshot wound, also to the chest. "Shit!"

Tony yanks out his phone and calls up an ambulance, going over to check on the suspect. Gibbs however, heads to check on Blaze, who is struggling to breathe, gasping out in pain. "Wh..he.. who.. d-did you get him?"

"Yeah, we got 'im. You're off the hook completely," Gibbs reassures Blaze. "Just hold on, we have an ambulance headed your w-"

The sound of a gunshot shuts Gibbs up, and he and Ziva whip their heads around to see Tony falling to his side from his crouching position. "Come.. on, again..?" He holds his left side, which the dying killer had managed one last shot for. "This is.. so not fair.." He groans, holding his side, which luckily, the bullet hadn't hit any organs. "Boss.. I want.. a vacation.."

Sirens are heard arriving. Blaze opens his glazed-over eyes at hearing the sound. "Is-is that-" He suddenly chokes, some blood trailing from his mouth.

"Quiet. It's almost here. Ziva, how is Tony?"

"He's fine. It's a minor injury."

"You called getting shot in the torso minor?" Tony groans, leaning back in the ground, Ziva over him.

"Stop whining, you're worse than a child." She glances at Gibbs, then puts her hand on his forehead and allows a smile. "You will be fine, Tony."

Interrupting the intimate moment, Ziva gets up to run out to the street, flagging down the paramedics. "They've over here! Hurry!"

Blaze closes his eyes, breathing shallow, erratic. "This.. what happens.. when you help.. the feds..." He trails off, relaxing in Gibbs' lap, an expression of peaceful satisfaction gracing his face.

* * *

"How is he?"

"Recovering."

"Can we see him yet?"

"Yeah. C'mon in."

"Hey.. heyy, guys! Boss, Probie, Ziva. The doctor said I'll be back up in no time."

"Yes, because you are too eager and foolish to take some time to rest," Ziva says, but hands Tony a small gift, wrapped in black paper.

"Oh? A present?" He opens up the flat, rectangular package.. and finds a DVD! "Oh, a new movie! Waitaminute.. what language is this?"

"Hebrew. It is a movie I watched years ago in Israel."

"Ah.. I'll need a translator to watch this." He grins a little. "Agent David, will you translate this for me later?"

"Well DiNozzo, I'm glad to hear you're all right," Gibbs says, cutting off the flirting stream between the two. "And finally, we managed to catch the killer who did this to you. Abby did identify hairs from his previous victims that were found inside his house."

"Good. If it weren't for Tatsuya, that guy would still be out on the loose."

"When you're up, you should to thank him." Gibbs stands then, turning to head out.

* * *

Entering Blaze's room, Gibbs observes the scene. Blaze is sleeping, chest bandaged up under his nightgown. He's alive; though in honesty, he had died en route in the ambulance-the paramedics were able to bring him back and get him into surgery in time.  
He sits down next to Blaze's bed, leaning back and allowing himself to think for a bit.

"Agent..Gibbs?" Blaze says softly, opening his eyes a little.

Gibbs looks over. "..I really owe you, y'know that?"

"How do you figure?" He's almost fully awake now.

"You're mugged by the killer we're tracking.. we mistake you for him and put a bullet in your shoulder. We interrogate you and hold you, and even after all of that, you track the killer for us.. and take a bullet in the chest for it."

"Oh.. that." He smiles a little. "You know what they say.. shit happens. After all, I was able to help you solve your case.. and save more lives, right?"

Gibbs exhales, looking at Blaze again. He pauses before speaking again. "Why?"

"I guess.. I'm just one of the good guys."

"Yeah. I'll agree with you there."

"Hey.. Agent Gibbs.."

"Yeah?"

"Since getting shot.. twice.. was kind of your fault, and all.. will the government pay for my hospital bills?" He grins and brushes a few strands of stray hair from his face.

Gibbs can't help but laugh. "We'll see, kid, we'll see."

* * *

The end~ All is well. If you liked it, leave a review. If not, let me know why. Thanks for reading~  
I also apologize for the mass of horizontal rule linebreaks. 's text editor has issues keeping formats.. and at times, words.


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